Jeremy Shockey gets vindication against New York Giants

"I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel a little bit better than (winning against) some teams."

Eliot Kamenitz/The Times-PicayuneNew Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey had a rather vocal reunion with his former team, the New York Giants, on Sunday, even getting a warning from an official to 'tone it down.'There, Jeremy Shockey said it, with a smile.

And a more obvious sentiment never has been shared than Shockey's comment after the New Orleans Saints pulverized his former team, the New York Giants, in a 48-27 victory Sunday at the Superdome. It was a win that left undefeated New Orleans looking like the best thing since sliced bread and the Giants looking like . . . well . . . a team that had climbed to 5-0 by stepping on the necks of Washington, Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Oakland, who had combined to win three of their first 20 games entering Sunday.

Regardless of reason -- there's not enough time or space to recount the allegations attributed to Shockey against the Giants, and vice versa -- the guy was handed to the Saints for a second- and fifth-round pick. That's a cheap exchange rate for a then-28-year-old, four-time Pro Bowl tight end.

And that's plenty enough to make anyone salty -- unless you're the type that doesn't mind being told by your employer that your services no longer are desired or required.

"The trade wasn't unexpected, " Shockey said of the July 2008 swap.

Neither, then, was his reaction to playing against his former team. Shockey was his usual, animated self.

The numbers weren't overwhelming -- four catches for 37 yards and a touchdown. They didn't have to be in a game in which the Giants were undressed in just about every way a team could be by the Saints, who improved to 5-0.

But he yapped plenty and earned a warning from an official.

"They always say something to me, " he said, "every time. He told me to tone it down a little bit. Can't have fun anymore, I guess."

And despite that statement he can, and did, have fun. After his 1-yard touchdown catch gave the Saints a 14-0 lead with 2:11 to go in the first quarter, Shockey hopped up off the turf and mimicked riding a horse.

"All week long he was pretty tame, " quarterback Drew Brees said after re-establishing himself as a fantasy team owner's fantasy, with four touchdowns and 369 passing yards on 23 completions. "But you knew the inner fire was burning and just about to explode. You hoped that it would be in a very productive way, and on Sunday, it was."

Shockey didn't have a cute name for the move ("Riding a horse, " he laughed) and didn't really need one. Formality takes a backseat with anyone having that much fun in the workplace.

And make no mistake -- there isn't anything much better in the NFL these days than being a New Orleans Saint.

First, you're a member of an undefeated team, and only four remain in the NFL (the Saints, Broncos, Colts and Vikings). Second, if you're Shockey, you and your team got to stay that way by trampling an opponent occupying a higher rung on the ladder.

His former team, no less.

"It's special, " said cornerback Jabari Greer, who won against his former team, Buffalo, in Week 3. "You could definitely tell he was excited out there. He was electric out there. He had a couple of crucial first downs, a couple of crucial first-down dances. He was excited, and I was excited for him.

"Any time you play against your former team there's a certain sense of nostalgia that you get. You remember walking those hallways, you remember playing with those guys. It's just another level of competition that you have to bring because not only are you playing against other professionals, you're playing against your friends.

"It's kind of like playing against your brother. You want to succeed, you want to have bragging rights at the dinner table. So any time that you beat your brother, you know he's going to be hearing about it for a while. I think that any time you can beat your former team, it makes it that much more special."

For Shockey, it was. You knew it would be.

"It's a little awkward, but that's football, " he said.

Winning against your former team makes the winning just a little bit better.